


The Countersuit

by SilverMyfanwy



Series: basically peter's school vs the avengers [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Avengers Tower, Awesome Pepper Potts, Bullying, Clint's kids are sneaky, Crying, Gen, Good Peter, High School, Homeschooling, Lawyers, Nat and Clint are to be feared, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Phil Coulson Has the Patience of a Saint, Protective Pepper Potts, Star Wars References, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 09:10:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19147969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMyfanwy/pseuds/SilverMyfanwy
Summary: Flash probably wouldn't have counter-sued if he'd known how mad Nat and Clint were that he'd upset Peter. Particularly after they investigated Flash's father's company, then came home looking triumphant.Peter's so glad they're on his side.





	The Countersuit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [But_I_Digress](https://archiveofourown.org/users/But_I_Digress/gifts).



> Well this is later than I'd hoped.  
> Oops.  
> Enjoy!  
> For But_I_Digress, who suggested a countersuit.  
> Also, I have no idea how the legal system works in New York. I just made a load of stuff up, so it could be all wrong.  
> Never mind.

“Flash is counter-suing.” May told Peter flatly when he came home from school. “Well, his dad is.”

“Can they do that?”

May shrugged. “Seems so.”

Peter sat down and put his head his hands. “Why? And what for?”

“Clearly wasn’t happy with the decision from last time.”

Peter thought for a moment. “Pepper’s gonna be really mad.”

May nodded. “I think Flash and his father are picking the wrong fight here.”

-

Pepper was furious. “He’s _counter-suing? Counter-suing?_ ”

Peter nodded.

“Have you done anything? You better not have done anything to aggravate them!” Pepper threatened.

Peter held his hands up. “I haven’t done anything.”

“I’m going for character defamation.” Peter decided instantly. “He’s taken you to court twice now, this is-” she sighed. “This is ridiculous. I’ll see if I can make it so they can’t sue you over this fight again.”

“You can do that?”

“I can try.”

“Thank you.”

-

“I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.” Pepper announced at dinner that night. “Flash’s dad is suing Peter again.”

There was silence.

Nat and Clint exchanged a look.

Sam looked around at all the very angry faces and cautiously put his hand up. “Take it in turns to yell.”

Nat stood up, clearly going first. “We’ve got dirt on Flash’s dad.”

“Then fetch it.” Pepper said.

Nat glared at Clint and he got up and left the room.

“He’s suing you? Again?” Bruce was astounded. “Even I didn’t get sued twice in a row when I knocked those buildings over.”

“He can’t sue me again after this, can he?” Peter asked anxiously.

“He won’t.” Tony promised. “We won’t let him.”

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” Sam asked quietly.

Peter nodded and his eyes began to fill with tears. Tony got up from the table and walked over to hug Peter, who clutched at his back and sobbed into his shoulder.

“You’ve got nothing to be scared of.” Tony whispered. “We’ve got you. You’ll be fine.”

“I just wish he’d leave me alone.” Peter sobbed.

“He will.” Tony promised. “He will.”

Peter pulled away and wiped his nose with his sleeve. “Sorry I got snot on you.”

“It’s fine.” Tony promised. “We’re gonna make some hot chocolate and watch Star Wars. OK?”

Peter nodded.

Half an hour later, he found himself in the middle of a pile of Avengers giving him all the blankets and hugs he wanted.

-

Someone swore loudly on the other side of the corridor, then yelled. “Parker!”

Peter froze and tried to blend in with everyone around him, but Flash came pushing through the crowd of students towards him.

“What?” Peter demanded.

“Your lawyer’s Pepper Potts.”

Peter raised his eyebrows. “Did you only just realise?”

“Your lawyer’s Pepper Potts!” Flash yelled. “How?”

“Stark Internship.” Peter said, but even he knew it sounded dubious.

“Stark Internship doesn’t have an internship programe. I checked.”

Peter froze. “It’s, um, my internship is kind of a one-off thing, it-”

“Why was Pepper Potts your lawyer and not one of Stark Industries' lawyers?” Flash demanded.

“I, uh, do some work for her as part of my internship and when she heard about the case she wanted to be my lawyer.” Peter lied.

“Why would she waste her time being your lawyer?”

“It’s her choice what she does with her time.” Peter defended.

“There’s something weird going on.” Flash decided. “No one just _gets_ Pepper Potts as their lawyer like you did.”

The bell rang.

“Later loser.” Flash snarled and walked off.

Peter took a deep breath and decided it might be best if he called someone to pick him up and take him back to the Tower. He didn’t think he could handle any more school that day.

-

It was Tony who came to pick him up.

Peter stood at the school gates and watched as a sleek black Audi pulled up and Tony rolled the window down. He didn’t say anything, just waited patiently for Peter to throw his bag in the boot. Then Peter went to sit in the back of the car and Tony held up a hand. “Nu uh kid. If I'm taking you home from school early, you’re gonna sit shotgun and tell me why.”

Peter bit his lip and silently got in the passenger seat. Tony started to drive.

“I don’t really know what to say.” Tony said after a few seconds of silence where all Peter did was fiddle with a loose thread on the sleeve of his hoodie. “I never had talks with a father figure in this sort of situation. There was always a chauffeur when I was in a car with my dad, so he’d just save the yelling for when we got home.” he paused. “Why did you need me to come get you?”

Peter stared out of the window. “I couldn’t do it.”

"Couldn’t do what?”

“Couldn’t handle any more school.”

“What happened?”

Peter didn’t say anything.

“Was it Flash?”

“Yeah.” Peter paused. “I want to get this trial over and done with.”

“There isn’t a date set, is there?”

“No.”

“I’ll get Pepper to see if the trial can be hurried up. If it’s soon enough, I’ll see if May will let us homeschool you until the trial’s over, so you don’t have to deal with Flash. That sound alright?”

“Yeah.” Peter nodded. “Thank you.”

“You wanna go home and play with the new upgrade for the suit?”

“Yes please.”

It was the first time Tony had referred to the Tower as Peter’s home.

-

Pepper was on the phone with the judge within minutes of Peter and Tony arriving at the Tower. She paced back and forth, heels clicking on the stone floor. Peter watched her anxiously through a glass panel in the wall. After ten minutes, she hung up and walked over to Peter. “The case is next Thursday.”

Peter jumped over the back of the sofa he’d been sitting on and hugged her.

-

Natasha and Clint called a team meeting the next day.

Coulson was invited and he looked utterly terrified.

“Here’s what we’ve found.” Nat leaned back in her chair and pressed a remote. A power point slide appeared on a wall.

The slide was blank.

“Why’s it blank?” Pepper asked.

Nat glared at Clint. “I thought you said you’d made the power point!”

“I did! Try the next slide, maybe that will be better.”

The next slide was a photo of Paw Patrol.

“Clint,” Nat said warningly.

“If this is the results of your investigation then I don’t think I can continue to employ you at SHIELD this blip is so bad.” Coulson said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Hang on, Nat, what’s the file’s name?” Clint asked.

“Zxhellohellooops3Cooper.” Nat read of a tablet she had in her lap.

Clint groaned.

“what?” Natasha asked.

“They’ve hacked my laptop again.” Clint said.

“Your kids hacked your laptop?” Tony said in awe. “When can I run a tech camp for them?”

Clint looked at the floor, shamefaced. “It’s me you need to be running a tech camp for. I use the same password for everything and they’re nosy. It’s not hard to hack my laptop.”

Phil had gone very, very pale. “Please tell me you don’t use the same password for your work things.”

Clint looked scandalized. “No! Of course not! I change the password on my work things all the time! I took that course on keeping things secure!”

Phil still looked skeptical.

Nat found the correct power point and put it up on the wall.

The first slide made Peter’s heart sink.

_No national laws broken._

Clint must have noticed the look on Peter’s face because he rather hastily said “That’s not it! There is more!”

“I’m giving up on the power point.” Nat said. “I’ve looked at the other slides and I think your kids hacked them too, given the unicorn cat pictures.”

“I’m running the tech camp.” Tony said.

Nat turned to Pepper and Peter. “They’ve broken a bunch of advertising, employment and tax regulations in 7 different states. They’ll be reported to the appropriate authorities and a lawsuit will be filled the day before the trial.”

“Won’t that slow the counter-suit down if the other case is involved?” Peter asked.

Pepper shook her head. “if anything, it’ll make it go faster. They’ll hurry up your case so they can move on with the investigation.”

Peter frowned. “I still don’t understand.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Shall we get on with planning a tech camp for Clint’s kids and leave the complicated legal stuff to the adults?” Tony asked Peter.

“Yeah.”

-

The days to the court date passed both swiftly and agonisingly slowly for Peter. His days were full of planning a tech camp for Clint’s kids- because it turned out that Tony was serious about running it-, trying not to freak out about the case and getting used to the system that was Education: Avengers Style.

For the most part, he thought he handled the stress really well.

But then Thursday morning arrived and it all went downhill.

-

“I’m really scared!” Peter wailed, shuffling into the kitchen in pyjamas several sizes too big for him that had sleeves dangling far past his hands and trousers hiding his feet.

Bucky looked him up and down. “If that’s what you’re wearing to the court you have every reason to be scared of Pepper.”

“Of course he’s not wearing that to court, I ordered him a new suit.” Tony said. He was already on his third cup of coffee and it was only 8 am.

“Why are you scared?” Steve asked. “Pepper’s the best lawyer you could possibly have.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Oh yeah.”

Nat threw a piece of toast at Peter. “Go and get dressed. We’re leaving to collect May in half an hour.”

Peter caught the toast. “Yes ma’am.”

-

Pepper absolutely _slayed._

She delivered a hammering speech on why Flash had lost the case last time and why his appeal was pointless.

Flash’s lawyer gave his defense, which was a load of rubbish.

Then Pepper called Clint and Natasha to the stand and things got significantly more interesting from the moment all the blood drained out of Flash’s dad’s face.

Nat and Clint told the court about the advertising laws that had been broken, the employment regulations that had been ignored and all the tax that hadn’t been paid. They said this added up to show that Flash’s dad was using dirty money to fund his case.

After hearing this, the judge said something to one of the officials and both Flash and Peter were taken out of the room. No one told them what was going on.

Peter was left in a room by  himself and he started to panic, wondering what could be happening. He dug his nails into the fabric of his trousers and tried not to cry.

What felt like hours later, Pepper walked in and gave him a hug. “What’s wrong?”

“They didn’t tell me what was going on and I got scared.” Peter sniffed.

Pepper’s face hardened. “You mean they didn’t tell you why you had to leave the court room?”

Peter shook his head. “They just left me here. What happened?”

“Oh baby.” Pepper wrapped her arms tightly around Peter. “They had to send you and Flash out because you weren’t allowed to see what happened because it was to do with the other case and you’re both minors.” she smiled and caressed his face. “But we won, so.”

“YES!”

-

That was that, basically.

Nat and Clint’s investigation caused a huge furor; Flash’s father was forced to stand down as CEO and had to pay several large fines and compensation payments.

Flash avoided Peter at school completely and that should have been the end of the Avenger’s interactions with Peter’s school.

It wasn’t.

**Author's Note:**

> CLIFFIE!


End file.
